by Dov S-S Simens on December 9, 2015

December 9, 2015

CHILD ACTORS & YOUR CHILD (1st Job)

Yes, your child is unique and $400/day to $10,000/week is not unusual and they do not need to be in the Actors union called SAG for everyone wants a “fresh face”. Be it a boy or girl, ethnic, cute, chubby, cherubic, autistic… and especially if twins (double pay…cool).

Hollywood studios and their respective casting directors love twins.

Why?

Simple. Child labor laws that state a non-adult (aka: child) can only work x-hours. This hampers productions which have tight shooting schedules and inhibits working many hours/day. However, if your child is a twin then they can be interchanged on set (especially when one tantrums) and fit into the long hour days.

Whether or not your children are twins (identical-great, fraternal-ok) or merely a single child (oxymoron?) he/she/they are unique… and there is definitely a casting director who is looking for your child for some specific job. However, the casting director doesn’t know you exit.

Thus, get your child to a still photographer. Get his/her/they headshots. Put his/her/their names on the bottom front of the photo and place your name with contact details on the back.

Now, get these photos to your local casting directors and start the numbers game of audition, audition, audition and eventually you should have some luck with a casting director, working with a director, who was contracted by an advertising agency, who was hired by a client (local Car Dealership, or Department Store, or Mall) for your local 30-second ad spots and he/she/they are paid $100-$600/day for each.

Local Casting Directors can be found by contacting your (Duh) local Film Commissioner.

All Film Commissioners (State, City or Nation) belong to an organization called the Association of Film Commissioners International (“AFCI”) and their website is www.AFCI.org.

BIG MONEY: CHILD ACTORS WORKING ON TV & CASTING DIRECTORS

Every year, month, day there are new tv series casting for fresh faces (yes, being a twin helps) that can hit their mark, say the words on cue, don’t stumble on their lips and keep their head-in-the-frame.

These fresh faces, if having an Opening Title Credit, will likely be paid $3,000-$7,000/episode for the 1st Season of 4, 6 or 13 shows. The big money comes, if the TV series is renewed for a 2nd & 3rd year.

Then your child is part of a “Hit Show” and possibly your child is the reason and he/she/they will now have a big Hollywood Agent renegotiate the contract (Agent usually says, “Your child is thinking of doing movies”) and he/she/they now obtain a contract at $15,000-$50,000/episode for a 22 show season and you have just guaranteed there college education at a $250,000 4-year Liberal Arts School.

To find the directors and producers with tv series commitments that are looking for new faces I am include a list of CHILDREN TALENT AGENTS in Los Angeles that simply start with the letter “A”… I believe this then will get you Mom to realize how many there are.. and they are all waiting for you and your darling toddler.

Hello Mothers. Hello Fathers. I hope this helps to get you into motion. Everyone starts somewhere and everyone, especially children, are unique. Now lets find you local Casting Director and a Hollywood Agents and get ready to Uber your child to Cattle Call after Cattle Call after Cattle Call in hopes of 2 Callbacks.

Happy Filmmaking,

Dov Simens

FOOTNOTE:

If you desire filmmaking/writing/directing info, based on common sense, then I look forward to seeing you at my affordable “2-Day Film School” (LOS ANGELES, April 23-24, 2016) and if you can’t-wait or can’t-attend then either my “DVD Film School” or “Streaming Film School” programs are perfect.

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They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless,
the posts are too brief for starters. May you please prolong them a
little from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.

Want to make a successful independent film?

About Dov

About Dov S-S Simens

Dov S-S Simens after 12 years lecturing at NYU, UCLA & USC, was voted “America’s #1 Film Instructor” by the National Association of Film Schools and in 1996 formed the Hollywood Film Institute.

Over the past two decades Dov has travelled the globe and taught thousands in 34 nations, from industry pros like Quentin Tarantino, Will Smith & Guy Ritchie, to first-timers like Mark Archer, who for $25,000 produced “In the Company of Men” that grossed over $20 Million.

Mr. Simens, a revolutionary and former Green Beret, wanting film education to be available for everyone created his extremely affordable “2-Day Film School”, “DVD Film School” and “Online Film School” programs (see below) so that anyone with a dream, talent & work ethic can succeed as a producer, writer or director.